The devastating Luton Airport carpark terminal fire is a “regrettable reminder of why BAFSA continues to call for sprinklers to be fitted in all modern, multi-storey carparks,” BAFSA’s chief executive, Ali Perry has said.
“Almost all modern cars are significantly larger, more massive and contain much greater amounts of plastic than ever before. They produce fires which are larger and propagate much faster than was previously possible. When electric vehicles catch fire, for example, they can produce intense horizontal flames that may ignite adjacent vehicles and create large conflagrations that can eventually result in structural failure and collapse of the building concerned, making it difficult for firefighters to control the fire.” he added.
Current guidance on fire precautions in the construction of car parks listed in Approved Document B of the Building Regulations for England and Wales (ADB) and Scottish Technical Standards do not currently require that sprinklers be installed. “It is BAFSA’s opinion, that this advice does not fully take into account the greater fire load of modern vehicles.” added Perry. “This is why BASFA is again calling for automatic fire sprinkler systems to be fitted in all multi-storey car parks.”